Roy Blacker will we remembered by all who knew him as one of life’s great characters, with his great sense of fun, his enormous energy and his tremendous enthusiasm. He was someone who loved life and lived it to the full, right to the end. As the French put it, Roy had that ‘joie de vivre’, the sheer joy of being alive and that is why his sudden death came as such a great shock to us all. He was also a person of great vision, in that he saw opportunities and possibilities long before most of us and it was a measure of his skill as a leader that he was able to communicate that vision to others and encourage us to work alongside him.


Roy also had an interesting and varied working life, beginning on the railways. He also had a spell working for the men’s outfitters, John Colliers, then trained as a nurse, working in two local hospitals, where his sense of humour and his lively banter, not to mention his teasing and tall stories livened up the wards no end. More importantly how- ever it was a profession that demonstrated his tremendous compassion and care. Then in his his early 30’s, Roy changed direction completely and went to college to study youth and community work, after which he went to work for the YMCA, where he remained for more than 20 years. His first post with the YMCA was in Norwich, followed by spells in Bridgend and Mountain Ash, before taking on even greater responsibilities in Leicester and Nottingham, where he was able to use his considerable skills and talents to even greater effect. Yet everywhere he served, Roy was motivated by the same ideal, namely that of helping young people to achieve their potential and to develop their skills and inter- ests. Indeed, so many of the letters and cards that Jennifer has received since his death have spoken about Roy’s ability to help and inspire people, not only in the YMCA but in the community as a whole, because as someone brought up in a close knit valley community, he knew the importance of community life. In fact there was one project during his time in Mountain Ash that summed that up perfectly. It was during the snow storms of


PDG Roy Blacker


1982, when Mountain Ash was totally cut off for a number of days and many people were completely snowed in. Roy realised that elderly people were extremely vulnerable in such a situation and that many of them lacked essential supplies such as milk and bread, so he mobilised people to help, appealing not only to YMCA members but to everyone in the community. Moreover, with the assistance of local radio stations, he appealed to anyone who needed help to contact the YMCA. In the meantime, he organised young people to collect supplies of milk and bread from a local railway station some four miles away, hauling it on sleighs to the YMCA, from where it was distributed to those who needed it most. It was a perfect example not only of Roy’s vision but of his compassion and empathy for people. This became even more apparent when I joined Roy and a group of professional people from Nottingham YMCA and the Rotary Club of Nottingham, on a visit to India. We were there to review some of the initiatives that Roy had set up on previous visits, including schools for disadvantaged children, health facilities for the poor and even a mobile dental clinic, all of which had received support from Rotary International and the YMCA move- ment. I can see Roy now striding out in front, with the rest of us following behind like sheep


‘That’ll Be The Day’


The ever popular ‘That’ll Be The Day’ Rock ‘n Roll tribute show is returning to the Follies Theatre at Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo on Friday 6th 7th


July 2018. Now in its 32nd


year the evergreen cast of


That’ll Be The Day will be performing their brand new 2018 Summer Show at Folly Farm and the show is once again being promoted by Phil Thompson MBE as part of his Annu- al ‘Charity Challenge’.


Phil said this week that ‘this will be the 11th


year that the ‘That’ll Be The Day’ show has come to Folly Farm and over the years the show has raised £112,400 for charity, which is absolutely fantastic’. This year the show proceeds are being donated to the charity account of Narberth & Whitland Rotary who are absolutely delight- ed to be the nominated recipient. Narberth & Whitland Rotary Club in turn have pledged to support several worthy charities from the


and Saturday the


money received namely The Wales Air Am- bulance, Blood Bikes Wales, The RNLI and the Tenovus ‘Closer To Home’ appeal. Speaking at the concert launch at Folly Farm this week, Park Managing Director Chris Ebsworth said that Folly Farm were proud to support Rotary and Phil and were delighted to once again be welcoming back the ‘That’ll Be The Day’ crew, who always put on such a memorable show’. Tickets for the show are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.rotary- wales.co.uk , by phoning Phil Thompson on 07767 408336 and from Dale’s Music Shop Tenby and the Creative Café, High St, Haverfordwest.


at the Follies


The Rotary Club is also doing a ‘Punch & Munch’ pre show dining experience on both nights comprising of a Cool Pimms Punch, BBQ Burger and Dessert and these can be booked online at www.rotarywales.co.uk or by phoning Liz Burns on 01834 860686.


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trying to keep up with him During our stay, we received an invitation to meet the President of India in his palace, a privilege usually reserved for heads of state; and even there, Roy managed to introduce a note of humour into the proceedings. When the President invited Roy to sit beside him, he told him that he was sitting in the seat that John Major had sat in the week before. Mak- ing himself comfortable and with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, Roy grinned and said ‘oh I feel just as important as Mr Major’, to which the President smiled, as if to say, ‘I agree’. Roy then made an unscheduled move, when he rose from his chair to ask the Pres- ident if he would sign the book he had just given him, but when the security men saw Roy put his arm on the president’s shoulder, they moved forward in unison and thrust their hands into their jackets, giving us the distinct impression that one false move and Roy was a dead man walking, but as usual he got away with it!


During our three week stay in India, it became obvious just how much the YMCA and Rotary meant to Roy, not least because of their commitment to helping the poorest of the poor. In fact, Roy rose to prominence in both organisations. In the YMCA, he rose from being a youth leader to chief executive and in Rotary he served as President on three separate occasions and as a District Governor. He also founded a new Rotary Club in Radyr and was awarded the highest honour that Rotary can bestow, when he received the Paul Harris Fellowship. Yes, Roy lived a rich and varied life en- riching the lives of others along the way, but in addition to the memories that so many of us share there are the even greater memories of his family. He was a caring and supportive father to his sons Stephen and Huw and a doting grandfather to their children. In their 56 years together, he was also a loving and caring husband to Jennifer and she in turn was the ‘wind beneath his wings’, supporting him in everything he did.


So in giving thanks for his life we entrust him now to God’s eternal care. Bishop David Yeoman


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